As Infrastructure Lags Behind, Saigon's Poorest Hardest Hit by Worsening Flooding
In April 2023, in the first downpour of southern Vietnam’s rainy season, the narrow rented room where Mã Thị Diệp and her children were staying in Hồ Chí Minh City was inundated by knee-high water.
Khôi Phạm in Environment
What I Talk About When I Talk About Vietnam's Penguin Trashcans
Compared to the average Vietnamese, I might be thinking about trashcans a smidgen too much — not just any trashcan, but the infamous penguin-shaped trashcans that are ubiquitous at every corner of our public spaces.
Linh Phạm in Parks & Rec
House Dance Hanoi Teaches You How to Free the Body
I stood on the top floor of a building on Khâm Thiên Street, feeling grateful for the cold air. I came out here to take a break from the other side of the floor, which was divided into three rooms — three dance studios.
Inside Saigon's Grassroots Carton and Aluminum Recycling Plants
With plastics claiming many of the headlines worldwide and constituting a major issue in Vietnam, scant attention is being paid to other recyclable materials, namely cardboard and aluminum.
How Táo Xanh Forum Created a Safe Space for Gay Vietnamese Before Social Media
Before Vietnamese could hop on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to share our hot takes of the week, there was an era of past cybersphere when online forums were the crucial online space to connect local netizens.
Paul Christiansen in Environment
As Climate Change Threatens, Flood Waters Usher In Sustainable Opportunities for Communities in the Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta is developing faster than Google Maps can keep up with. A stretch of road that was too narrow to accommodate cars and required a transition to motorbikes just six months ago was under construction during our August visit. Gargantuan machines for laying pulverized gravel inched aside to let our 7-seater pass so we could reach the home of Nguyễn Thị Thu Thủy to check in on her small fish drying home business.
Khôi Phạm in Natural Selection
10 Species of Lesser-Known Fruits to Get to Know Vietnam's Biodiversity
In the Vietnamese language, the word “cỏ” — meaning “grass” in the literal sense — is often used to signify that something is locally grown, no frills, and charmingly rustic; grassroots, if you will. Chó cỏ is the general term for the adorable mutts, usually mixes between Vietnam’s native dog species, born without the prestige of named breeds, while gym cỏ and net cỏ denote the casual gyms and internet cafes in one’s neighborhood. In the same vein of logic, may I put forth a new name for a special genre of Vietnamese fruits: trái cỏ?
How Vietnamese Architecture Adopted Modernism and Made It Our Own
Ask a person on the street what Vietnam’s distinctive style of architecture is, and the answer you get might be traditional architecture, like the historic curves of northern Vietnam’s village temples or the ornate regality of Nguyễn-Dynasty palaces. This time-honored style is widely accepted as the hallmark of Vietnam’s cultural wealth. What’s more fascinating but lesser-known is how this cultural vestige — which distinguished our architecture from that of China and Japan — has also managed to evolve in the new age, finding ways to exist right in the middle of our modern lifetime.
Cash-Strapped Saigon Metro Project Requests $1.68m From City to Pay Staff
The management team of Saigon's ongoing metro project has requested advance funds from the city to pay employees who have only received partial salaries since January.
From March, Vietnam Requires Hospitals to Digitize Medical Records
Health authorities hope that the change will help cut back waiting times, confusion caused by doctors' handwriting and improve the archiving and managing of records.
Vietnamese Educational App Elsa Secure $7m From Google's AI Fund
Elsa, founded in 2015 by Vietnamese national Van Dinh Hong Vu and speech recognition researcher Dr. Xavier Anguera, is a mobile application that helps English learners hone their pronunciation and ove...
[Photos] Inside Cat Tien National Park's New Bear Sanctuary Made From Wire and Pebbles
The group of buildings inside Cat Tien National Park provides a comfortable home to 40 sun and moon bears that have been rescued from illegal trafficking and the bear bile industry.
South Korean Firm Puts Forth Plans for $3bn Metro Network in Da Nang
The proposed metro system would connect the city's downtown, beach, airport and major roads.
As Measles Hits 43 Provinces in Vietnam, Officials Warn of Potential Outbreak
The number of measles patients is still on the rise, according to health authorities.
[Photos] In Da Nang, a Symmetrical Twin House for Two Close Friends
Have you ever loved a friend so much that you build a house to cohabitate with him and his family?
To Stay or Go: Why Families are Keeping Students in Vietnam for High School
Every parent wants what’s best for his or her child, but knowing what that actually means can be difficult.
Exploring Juilliard’s Collaboration with the British International School
The students became water. Or rather, buried beneath blankets and waving sheets, flicking flashlights on and off, mouths shushing and humming, they acted out “The Water’s Journey” as inspired by an An...
Vietnam to Build First-Ever Undersea Tunnel Beneath Ha Long Bay
The project has already attracted three investors including Nippon Koei, FECON and Transport Engineering Design Inc.
[Photos] A Communal House in Son La Inspired by Indigenous Headscarves
Inspired by the headscarves worn by ethnic minority women in the area, the Son La Province structure appears to be drifting across the lush landscape on a pollen-sweet breeze.
Thai Football Club Shells out $500,000 for Vietnamese Goalkeeper Dang Van Lam
Following his strong performance as part of Vietnam’s national football team in 2018, goaltender Dang Van Lam has been highly sought-after by other teams in the region. He has now settled with Muangth...
North-South Expressway Project Is Vietnam's Top Priority in 2019: Transport Minister
The construction is expected to be completed by 2025.
Shop Smarter, Sleep Deeper: Ru9’s Mission to Perfect the Place We Rest
If you’re a Vietnamese of a certain age, you might attribute your previous night’s poor sleep to some atmospheric disturbance.
In Vietnam's First Awake Brain Surgery, a Patient Is Conscious and Singing
The patient, a 36-year-old businessman, was awake for two of the surgery's six hours, during which he sang and conversed with doctors to assure the procedure was not damaging areas of his brain needed...
British International School Hanoi Pays Homage to Vietnam’s Vibrant Culture During Tet
Tet in Vietnam offers a unique opportunity to engage in timeworn traditions. British International School Hanoi (BIS Hanoi) paid homage to the Year of the Pig with a lively assembly which in...
Can Gory Animal Statues Shock Vietnam Into Shunning Wildlife Products?
On January 28, three statues — including one of a rhino bleeding with its horn cut off, an elephant whose tusks are broken and two de-scaled pangolins — went on display at Vinh Nghiem Pagoda in Saigon...
70% of People Who Shop Online Use Facebook Messenger to Communicate with Shops
Facebook Messenger is by far the most popular messaging app for Vietnamese who shop online.
Saigon's Stand-up Scene Grows up, but the Jokes Remain
Comic Uy Le will freely tell anyone, preferably on stage with a spotlight and a hot mic, that he doesn’t get along with other comics. “Because I don’t smoke, drink and still have a future,” Uy shared....
[Photos] An Architect Recreates Childhood Memories With His Brother in This D9 House
'Nha Hang Xom' (Neighbor House) was designed by a husband-and-wife architect duo Huynh Tra and Nguyen Quynh Thu.
